2013-03-11 One Night In Bangkok
At 53 floors and 242 meters in height, Organitech Tower is the fourth tallest building in Bangkok and the sixth tallest in Thailand. It boasts impressive security measures, including electronic locks with complex keycards, countless surveillance cameras, and a small army of private security personnel. Somewhere inside, Fern and One are being held captive by unknown forces with unknown capabilities. If the size of the facility is any indication, funding isn't a concern for them. The lobby is so secure that it borders on being fortified. Double-layered security doors, armed guards, and multiple checkpoints. And that's on the way to the elevator. The roof is gently sloping and mostly taken up by huge skylights, but there's a ten-foot wide strip of flat space around the edge and several windowless expanses where support pillars hold everything together. The space between is filled with dozens of laboratories, scores of workshops, and hundreds of offices, along with the usual broom cupboards, reception desks, and break rooms that one is likely to find in a building of this size. With the Blackbird with remarkable hovering ability, who needs a stinking front door? Windows, roof.. it's all the same for the amazing blue fuzzy pilot who has more hours of flight time than -almost- anyone else in the X-Men. (There are a few who have more under their belt, obviously.) That said, Kurt's looked through the windows on their way up to the top of the building, being careful of jetwash (he's been in this sort of rodeo before!), he's decided on a roof landing. It's a knucklebiter, and he has to abort. Ten feet simply won't do as the Blackbird has a 16 foot 'footprint'. Finding a spot in which to hover, Kurt takes care of all the 'little things' such as security and sensors before looking back at the ladies, pupil-less eyes looking quite serious in the dimly lit cockpit. "There is no place to land.. so we will have to hover." Standing up, once out of his harness, he holds out his hands for the other two to hold. "Things, for the moment look quiet," according to his current scanners aboard the 'Bird. "Shall we go?" And.. should they take his hand? *BAMF* This is definitely one of those moments. Domino's ditched the trench and more than made up for its weight with extra pieces of gear. There's pistols, there's a shotgun, there's a cut-down thirty caliber battle rifle with fifty rounds in a drum at her beck and call, and there's enough explosives on hand for her to sink a respectably sized freighter. There's just..one..thing which isn't right with her world. "Still can't believe you only let me co-pilot," she sides to Kurt in a deadpan tone while gazing down upon their target building. "How much burn time we got before we've gotta be back at the bird?" Party time. The albino woman takes one of Nightcrawler's curiously shaped hands into her own, the other quickly verifying that her one shot of adrenaline is still attached to her gear. This merc is still very badly injured. If push comes to shove, she wants to make sure there's a plan B. Catwoman has been watching, her expression held carefully in check as it has been the entire flight, looking almost dispassionate for how controlled she keeps herself. By the time they arrive she's a bundle of nerves, ready to fly off of the handle, barely able to keep it all in. In costume and armed only with her belt and the items held in its pouches and her whip, she's grossly underarmed compared to Domino. "Just remember. Zero innocents killed," she reminds everyone including herself. Of course it'll be difficult to convince the Organitech security members not to shoot to kill but that's a bridge they'll cross if it's gotten to. Sel places a hand in Kurt's after that is said and she simply holds her breath, scared about what this 'teleporation' entails. The office that the rescue team appears in is small enough that the three of them popping in simultaneously makes it feel a bit cramped. Especially with a husky, broad-shouldered young man sitting behind the desk in the room's only chair. He opens his eyes and mouth very, very wide. There's a scream coming. You can just feel it building. It'll be loud, and there's a high probability of comical girlishness. On the upshot, at least he's wearing a suit instead of armor, and there are no guns or cameras in sight. Kurt's teleportion is disorienting, to say the least. It also makes the uninitiated a little.. lethargic for a moment. Fatigued. In the blink of an eye, in the span of a single heartbeat, the three start from on board the invisible Blackbird to a room in Organitech, passing through a dimension of hell that even Kurt hasn't yet truly 'seen'. The sound *bamf* is simply the sound of air rushing to fill that void as the dimension portal opens and closes once again. Of course, the stench of brimstone could probably be done without, but.. it is something of a side-effect, though Kurt would call it a 'trademark'. *BAMF* "Guten abend, mein Herr.." Kurt is more than used to coming out of a teleport ready for action. It is what he does.. and as a result, he's already reaching out to land a proper punch on the young office worker to knock him the hell out. Follow that up with a sedative? There'll be no alarm bells, thank you very much. "Ja.. much better. Besides, they won't pay you overtime anyway, so you might as well relax." No innocents killed. It's a nice idea in theory, but in practice? Domino doesn't like gunning down people that aren't part of the fight, but how does one weed them out? Is anyone in this building innocent? Her own code reads similarly to what Catwoman says, but she differs from the others in one critical area. If it comes down to it, anyone is a fair target. The rules of survival are harsh. They always have been. It's part of why she didn't involve the rest of the X-Men. It's always easier to get blood on her hands when she's on her own. Bamf! Groan... Her stomach may -never- get used to that feeling. Fortunately, Kurt's still fully in the game. The room's lone occupant is already being taken care of, which means she can take guard by the door and carefully check the hallway beyond. "Might wanna check our pal for a keycard, could come in handy." If he does indeed have one. Ugh! That is horrible. Worse than the sensation of when One literally tackled her off of a roof several months back, that lurching-tightening feeling in Seline's gut now a billion times worse. Thankfully she is able to keep her wits and her lunch about her and she's fine save for a bit of wobbling. "Thanks for the warning about that," she grumps while crouching by the felled man. There's a ruffle of clothing as her hands dart in and out of his pockets, the search taking only several seconds before what they were hoping for is discovered. "Here we are," she announces while holding the card between fore- and middle-finger of one hand. "Let's get out of here," she adds hastily, wanting to get out before anyone comes to investigate the employee's shout of surprise. Luckily, the building isn't heavily inhabited at this hour. A few secretaries and clerks working late. Young go-getters like the one Nightcrawler just knocked out. And, of course, security. They prowl the hallways with flashlights, uniforms, and semi-automatic pistols clearly separating them from any other employees. The first hallway is lined on both sides with cubicles, most of which are unoccupied. There's a sign hanging from the ceiling that's written in several languages, including English. <---- R&D HUMAN RESOURCES----> Kurt watches as Catwoman rifles through the pockets, a smile set upon his indigo-coloured fuzzy face. "If I told you, you may not have wanted to go." He leaps up and sticks to the ceiling now, as naturally and comfortably as the pair walk the floor.. and he makes his way to the door to look out. Shadows, stick to the shadows! Looking up one direction, then the other, he lands silently beside the girls once again. "R und D, Human Resources. Files to be gained?" Kurt's all for files.. and searching the room quickly, frows at the pathetic offering of a filing cabinet. So much for a paperless society? "I will remember this room." Still, ever forward and he holds his hand out once again, "Shall we?" "Keep your eyes on the prize, Blue," Domino quietly reminds their teleporter. They could spend hours looking through the data contained within this place, but they're here for a different reason. They're also on the clock. With the call for another jump she gently lets the door close, glancing back to Nightcrawler. "Don't overdo it. Last I checked you weren't running up to par. Get us somewhere else, I'll call our next point." Besides, Catwoman didn't seem to be appreciating the jumps over there. They need to be ready to keep moving rather than being bent over clutching their stomachs. Call it a hunch. "I would have gone anyhow," Seline points out before stepping out into the hall, falling quiet. She too sticks to the shadows as they start to make their way down it, her eyes kept dilligently in front of her. By the time they make it to the sign she has her whip in hand, the weapon at the ready. "Wait. He's not up to par?" Selina looks from Domino to Nightcrawler, clearly worried. "You guys do know that I don't need to be teleported necessarily, yeah?" Oh boy. Her own quick inspection of a few cubicles is halted and she puts her hand in Kurt's despite her concern. Expect the worst while praying for the best. That's how the saying goes, yes? The next place the group drops into looks and feels a lot more like a holding facility. Gone are the gentle, beige walls and short-knapped carpet. Everything is gunmetal grey and utilitarian to the extreme. This is the belly of the beast. Nothing proves it so much as the sound of an angry voice yelling, "Hey! I don't know who you think you are, but put your hands up! Now!" This deep in the facility, the friendly black-and-white security uniforms are replaced by body armor and the sidearms are supplemented with automatic weapons. The guard edges toward an alarm panel, keeping his submachine gun trained on the trio all the while. "Ja, I know.." But those yellow eyes move back towards that file cabinet longingly. So much there.. but Kurt does pull himself away long enough to take the girls on that 'last bamf'. He's NOT up to par, by any stretch of the imagination. While now, in short bursts, he's okay.. but the farther the distance, the more push he needs to make it. Adrenaline is on his side. *BAMF* Appearing out of his particular brand of aether, Kurt's in a crouch, and at the challenge? *BAMF* Kurt lands just above the armoured security guard, and latches on with hands and feet as he drops that foot, before flipping backwards, throwing the man against the wall with a good deal of force... away from that handy red alarm pull on the wall. "Who am I? I am the Amazing Nightcrawler! Surely you have heard of me?" "Okay, so I might have forgot to mention one teeny, tiny detail," Domino admits to Catwoman. "You can go your own way if you want, but it's not--" *Bamf!* "--Advised." A second later and Dom's almost flinching as that guard goes flying back into the wall. Nicely done... That's two for Blue. The guy's gonna take all of the action tonight, is he trying to prove a point to her or something? Alright, there's only fifty-three floors to this place, not counting any basements or secrets. It looks like they're in the right ballpark now, which is really quite fortunate. But, they still don't know which direction to go. So. If she was to hazard a completely random guess, which she is, they'll want to start going..''-This-'' way. It looks nicer than That Way and The Other Way. "Hope you two don't mind following a bit of female intuition." "I'll stay.. although it doesn't really seem like you guys need me," Selina says with a sight sigh and then a smirk upon watching the results of Nightcrawler's acrobatic attack. "I feel like a third wheel." Shrugging a shoulder at that, she looks carefully from side to side before crouching by the poor guard, relieving him of weapons and security card,if he has one on his person, whatever he has for handcuffs used on one wrist and one ankle, positioned just so that getting up to push the alarm button should be difficult if not outright impossible. Should buy them some time. Looking in the direction Domino goes and then in the others, Selina pauses as if in thought before nodding and following her. "You got lead." The hallway stretches off in two directions. There's another sign, this one attached to the wall, that reads SICKBAY ---> The stomping of boots can be heard very nearby. One way or the other, it's time to go. Once Kurt's got the guy knocked out, the blue elf makes a leap for the ceiling and crouches there, upside down, pupil-less yellow eyes blinking at Selina first, "Why do you think that, fraulein?" before he turns to Domino. A wide smile creases his face, and he shrugs.. while still upside down. "Ja.. I think that way is fine, leibling." ' *BAMF*' And it's down the hall in the direction so indicated.. coming in to land on the ceiling. "Don't feel too bad, Sel. Kinda feeling like a sixth toe, myself," Domino offers. Kurt's just got things under control on this run. She should have brought along a couple of shotglasses! Of course, she's not about to let Kurt have ''-all-'' of the fun. It's a matter of pride. Dom rounds a corner at the next intersection in perfect timing with another guard rounding the bend further down the hall. Instinct spikes, the woman slipping a knife free of her side. She could just throw it, it's a clear shot. No obstructions. But no, she has to kick off of the nearest wall and flip through the air, ''-then-'' throw it. The piece of steel spins end over end down the hall like some circus performance, just barely zipping past Nightcrawler's head as he teleports in between the two. An instant later the base of the blade's handle connects with a cluster of nerves in the guard's head, dropping him with nothing more than a nasty welt. The blade catches upon his armor, arrested during its fall to land nice and gentle upon his stomach rather than crashing to the floor. "I've reconsidered. We'll cover more ground if we split up." And not get in the way of one another's attacks. Selina rolls her eyes at Domino and Kurt both but doesn't say anything, not when the sound of voices carry like they do. Gritting her teeth, she storms one, fists and claws flying, the guard she puts down falling forward in a mass of bloody facial scratches, difficulty breathing due to a throat punch and a swift knee to the gonads. "Stay down," she hisses, angrily. "And do not call any of your friends," she adds, not that it'll matter. The man's in too much pain to do anything. Dom's admission has her lowering her head and putting her hand to her face, palming it as she does. "Yes. I think I've come to the same conclu... s..." Peeking up through splayed fingers, Selina catches sight of that sign, it reducing her snarky retort to nothing. Instead of speaking she merely heads in the indicated direction, carefully moving towards where the sickbay is, motioning to the others to folow her. Might not pan out but it's somewhere to look and, if needed, possbily hide in for awhile if things continue to go south. On the other side of the sickbay door, Nine narrows his eyes when he hears the scuffle out in the hall. "This should be good," he mutters under his breath. "Hold on, kiddo." The clone waves Fern back behind a cabinet where she'll be out of sight, then cracks the door open. After a moment of studying the would-be invaders, he opens up wider and lets out a low chuckle. "Good Lord, people. Those clothes. Did I fall asleep and wake up in the Matrix? Quick, get inside." Fern doesn't miss the noises, and is already on edge after her dashes through the halls at Nine's direction. She backs up to pacify the clone as he goes to the door, but in just a second she's stepping forward again, back to her position at One's side. He's never looked worse, and is unconscious still, hooked up to machines that beep and ping. As Nine speaks, Fern turns, putting herself purposefully between One and the doorway. She may not be much, she doesn't have powers, but she'll do anything she can to fight for him. The flying of the knife past him down the corridor certainly gains the fuzzy elf's attention, and he opens his mouth to lodge an official complaint.. but then, there it is. *bonk* The knife's base smackers the guard 'just so' in the head, and down he goes, only to have the blade land delicately on the man's armour as an offering. Kurt softly, "Nice control, leibling.." That doesn't last long, however. Kurt is ever forward, and rather than teleporting, he stays on the ceiling. "If I had my swords, leibchen, I could show you a few things." The challenge is set, and the ante is upped.. in posturing, anyway. He's forgotten his swords! Yellow eyes look immediately to the side before he looks back at Domino, his brows rising. "Your luck again, leibchen?" before he takes one step on the ceiling, two.. and leaps out at Nine, ready to flip the man over. Looks like a clone! Though, at the last second, to see something of a familiar figure in the form of Fern, he aborts the attack, twisting in the air only to land on all fours just over and behind Nine. "Zum Teufel! Was ist los?" //What is going on?// "Necessity. Let's save the 'who's better' dance for later." The inquiry leads to a thin smirk from Domino, "I've gotta earn my keep somehow." And then there's a One. Or a copy that bears striking similarity to One. She's not sure whether to point a weapon at him or come up with some other dry remark! So she does both. "Man, this clone business is really starting to get on my nerves." Still, this guy seems to know something that they do not. Plus, Fern's in the room he just came out of. ''-Score.-'' And she's standing..in front of..ah, ''-gees.-'' "Insert joke about taking the wrong pill here," she sides to Nine while drifting into the room beyond. It's Fern! Miss Normal Von Normalcy, herself! Seeing her standing here is all the reassurance that Dom needs, at least for the time being. "Hey, you alright?" The room is entered by Catwoman as well only to have her come up short upon seeing the sight of One laid out injured like he is and the woman who seems hellbent on protecting him, her expression sheer confusion. "Huh..." she breathes out before turning a distrustful glance towards Nine, that getting her confusion to become utter ire in no time flat. "Sonuvabitch..." Not knowing that he helped Fern get to One, she only can assume that he's one of the clones that have been on the attack and she lashes out, her fists aimed for whatever part of his body she can make contact with if he doesn't stop them. "Get... get away from them. We will not let you do this to One...!" Physically, Nine is identical to One in every way. Something about the way he carries himself sets him apart, though. He stands taller, stiff-backed and properly postured. His voice is different, too. The tones are the same, but the inflection is all wrong. He's wearing a suit fresh off the rack, a bulletproof vest, a heavy pistol in a shoulder holster, and a slim shortsword strapped across his back. Even facing three potential adversaries, he seems supremely confident. "He's fine. We're all fine. I assume you're the people he contacted when he escaped from his cell?" Nine doesn't wait for a reply. If they weren't, they either wouldn't be here or they would've come in shooting. Or perhaps throwing punches. "Hey." He dances and weaves, avoiding Catwoman's attacks with crisp efficiency. "Stop. No. Seriously. Stop!" Finally, Nine catches her fist in his hand and squeezes. Hard. "Mind your manners," he says. "We don't have time to dick around. I need to wake him up so we can get out of here." Barefoot, straggly hair, week old jeans and man's shirt, and Fern stands her ground, fists clenched, until she sees a familiar blueness. "Herr Wagner!" Then there's a familiar vision in all her monochromatic glory, "Domino!" And there's... well, she doesn't know the last of the group, a lady in black leather, who goes for Nine. "No!" For a little bit of a thing, she's got great lung power from vocal training, and her scream ought to garner attention. "He helped me get here to One! Nine's helping!" It's not that she doesn't understand, she's spent days terrified of this clone, but he has gotten well along the road to redeeming himself in Fern's eyes. He doesn't exactly need her help, either, but she's running on almost pure adrenalin, eyes wide. With help right there Fern has to resist an impulse to fling herself at Dom in relief, but they aren't out yet and she's not getting farther from One than she has to. She will ''see him out of here. Kurt is on the other side of Nine now, between him and Fern. Straightening, he blinks yellow eyes first as he looks to Nine and then slowly to Fern, and One, beyond, laid out. He whistles softly, his head snapping back. "He does not need to be awakened, mein Herr.." A smile comes, but it's not necessarily a pleasant one. "The cavalry has arrived, und we'll be taking them.. danke shoen." The blue elf looks to Domino, his gaze lingering upon her. He knows what she's carrying.. and as much as he hates the thought of her putting herself in such harm's way? "You will be on, leibchen," he whispers. '''The people he contacted when he escaped from his cell. Uh..yeeeah... Sure, why not? Dom never got contacted, she just had to rip the relevant data out of Seven's head when she had the chance. Catwoman was a big help there, that gal's got it together. Like now, she's taking on Mister Half Man/Half Machine with a couple of claws. "Poor thing's been wanting something to chase all night." Um. ''-OW.-'' Fern's got a real set of pipes on her! Dom flinches as the other woman yells out in protest, muttering to herself, "So much for radio silence." The others can have their confrontation with Nine. Honestly, she's not in the mood. Instead she's looking over to One's prone body. "You look like shit, Skynet." Back to Kurt, she inclines her head slightly in acknowledgement. How does one quickly take down an entire building with hastily set charges, not on ground floor? Well, you just have to get lucky. The fight leaves Selina as soon as it was raised but it isn't the grasp Nine has on her hand but rather what Fern says in explanation of who he is. His grip is not fought for awhile as she merely stands there, looking at him, the tension in her face ebbing. "Thank you," she mouths before sliding her hand out of his. "I was the one he called," she answers finally before turning around, looking at all present as a whole. "Like he said, we don't have much time left. Get One awake and let's get the hell out of here." Pointing a finger at Domino, she can't help but to smirk and ask impishly, "Feel like taking a look outside with me, see if we're alone?" Blink. That's how long it takes for Nine to draw his sword and bring it to bear. "Listen closely, little blue monster. I. Will. Impale you. He moves when I say he moves. Now get out of my way." Upstairs, a janitor has just discovered the first man that Nightcrawler knocked unconscious. A few seconds later the alarm system is engaged, filling this room and every other room in the facility with blaring klaxons and flashing red lights. "Amateurs," Nine mutters. He turns to Domino and holds out his hand. "Is that adrenaline? Gimme. Then take that big rifle of yours and cover the door, will you?" The little redhead turns to Kurt, shaking her head, face set, "I'm not just up and leaving Nine." Fern's protest is much quieter than when she was trying to get Selina's attention, but she's stoic. He's already said they'll kill him for the part he's played in helping, and she won't just walk off and let that happen. He's done her a solid. He'll get the same back. She does, however, stamp one bare foot. "Stop fighting each other and wasting time!" Only half volume. As Nine notes Domino's needle, Fern pales a little. He's already told her what needs to be done and her eyes flicker to One, worried. The additional noise of alarms barely registers on her, her focus now on what Nine will do and how she might help. Kurt is no slouch with speed, and with the drawing of the sword to threaten him, he leaps straight into the air, flipping over, pushing against the ceiling and back down on the other side of the bed, this time with One and Fern between them. His eyes narrow, and his voice lowers, "We are leaving.." Looking up at the sound of the klaxons, Kurt lowers his gaze once again and shrugs, "Now would be a good time." Reaching out to take a hold of One, he glances at Domino. He's ready to go. Fern's got the right idea. Funny how it takes the most ordinary person here to get to the heart of the matter. "Hey, can we focus here, guys? Lot of work, little time to do it in?" Klaxons. It's all in the timing, Domino. Cold blue eyes fall back upon Nine when he calls them amateurs. "Because you were doing such a killer job before we showed up." Then he has the nerve to ask for her adrenaline shot..! She pulls it free with one swift motion, nonchalantly asking "Which cheek you want it in, Slim?" They don't have time for this. Both Catwoman and Nine would like her out in the hall. -She- would like to be out in the hall. The adrenaline shot is lightly tossed into the air in Nine's direction as she hurries to join Selina, needlessly pointing out "Just an FYI - We're not alone." Fudge, Kurt's all ready to go. "Jumping takes a lot out of a -healthy- person, Blue. Give him a chance first! Besides, I'm gonna need you operational for the grand finale." You know, so she doesn't drop a building on top of herself. She can only do that so many times and still walk away from it. And, heck, she's not going to leave Catwoman to fend for herself. "We'll cover outside. You do whatever you need to do, Nine." "Everyone, knock it the hell off '''''now!" Selina's not having a good day now and it makes her waspish and not in the mood to be messed with, the sudden bickering in the room making a different side of her show, the side of her not affraid to take charge. "Nightcrawler, you should save teleporting for an emergancy. Save yourself for that. As for Nine, he can help us. Not only with saving One's life but also with helping us get the hell out of here. Now, Dom, cover the door. Nine, please help Fern with him, get him ready to move." Looking at the prone figure on the gurney, Selina steels herself, not expecting anything they'll see from this point on to be pretty. "Nine, if you help us I swear, I will repay you for your kindness." Now a voice chimes in, filling the gaps between alarm klaxons. It repeats the same message over and over: "WARNING. ALPHA-LEVEL CONTAINMENT BREACH. WARNING. ALPHA-LEVEL CONTAINMENT BREACH. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO EMERGENCY STATIONS." "That's fantastic," Nine mutters. "Just fantastic." He snatches the adrenaline shot out of the air without taking his eyes off of Nightcrawler. Then, when he's reached for, he's simply not there. He can't teleport, but he moves so fast that he may as well be able to. "Come near me again and I'll fucking kill you, Blue," Nine promises. "You're lucky your friends are here or I'd do it right now. Man. Try to make a choice... Do the right thing... What do I get?" The dagger-like needle is raised high above his head, then plunged into One's chest. "I get this asshole. I get the Alphas. C'mon, kid. Awake, awake, hands off your snake." One needs little coaxing, bawdy or otherwise. The shot takes effect very quickly. A few seconds after it's administered, he sits up stiffly and gasps in a breath. At first, it seems like he's forgotten how to exhale. His eyes bulge and he clutches at Nine's sleeve while he figures out how to breathe properly. And there it comes. Once he's breathing, One focuses on each of the room's occupants in turn. There are a thousand questions in his eyes, but he doesn't know where to start. Fern gives it another try, pleading with the blue elf, "Please, Herr Wagner, don't." Domino chimes in, and then the lady in the cat suit, and it's obvious they're both concerned for One's welfare as well. Nine's quick movement has her turning to see what he's doing, just in time to see the needle arc up and plunge back down. Her hands fly up to stifle a noise just this side of a scream, blue eyes wide, filling with tears as One sits up. She pauses, waiting until he's looked around, before moving her hands to reach out but not touch, venturing, "One?" She's seen him beaten and battered, not conscious since he burst through his apartment door. Her eyes drop to the needle sticking out of his chest and she groans, trying not to give in to the thought that it would be a really good time to sit down. Of everything said, it's Dom's words that come through. Of everyone in this room, she's the one that knows him the best.. which may or may not be saying something. But even she hasn't seen all the tricks up his sleeve. Not yet. But...she needs him. He straightens, and as Nine moves and seemingly disappears from his place, Kurt is on the move once more with a leap towards the ceiling where the door lies before he can see Nine reappear by the bed. //Always keep moving.// "I would have no qualms in trying to kill you, Neun. You are not human." As if to underscore it, the blue fuzzy shows pointed canines and swishes his tail rapidly, glowing yellow eyes narrowed. As Domino says.. semantics. Now, however, as that seems to be at an end, Kurt looks to Selina, his brows rising. "Teleporting is what I do, fraulein." It's not an 'emergency' thing, and it never has been! (Well.. now, maybe.. but 'not up to par' doesn't mean he's down for the count either! He's still got a couple good ones left!) At the sound of the voice over, he asks to the air, "What does that mean? Alpha-level.." though he could make a pretty good guess. "Leibling, you don't happen to have a sword in there, do you?" There's a less.. 'cute and fuzzy' looking blue fuzzy elf as he looks back at Fern. It's more the 'blue and part-demon' look, complete with the spade tail. He looks away once again, even as One begins the gasping for breath. Choices.. and somewhere along the line, how has it gone from 'extraction' to 'shoot our way out'? This..none of them need right now. It's also at this point where the group's resident feline-inclined woman proves that she's got teeth as well as claws. Even then the bantering continues some, but Sel tried, and it's appreciated. "Thanks," Domino says her way while taking up guard at the door. "Come on, kids. We've got incoming, save the angst for where it counts." Alpha level... "Didn't Cypher mention something about the Alpha project? I think we just breached that operation's inner hive. In fact..." she trails off, passing a quick glance back to One. "I'd bet fifty he's the proverbial queen." He's also sitting up. "Welcome back. You're just in time to hate us all." A sword..not so much. She does happen to have her customary machete, though. You really just can't tell when a big, nasty piece of honed steel might come in handy! Dom draws it with her free hand then tosses it over to Kurt, though she does so with a disclaimer. "Don't make me have to take it away from you, Blue." Translation: Attack the baddies, and only the baddies. A quick glance is given to Fern and she nods, reaching out to touch her gently on the arm. "Reunions will have to wait, I am afraid," Selina points out gently, "but there will be time for that on the flight home. Please help Nightcrawler get him ready and on his feet." Taking a deep breath, she leans over and whispers to Nightcrawler himself, "If things get too bad, get them back and get out of here. Take Dom and Nine as well, if possible." Taking a deep breath, she looks at Dom and Nine, her eyes narrowed. "Both of you stay close, one take point, one take rear..." Selina is hoping like mad they won't try to argue or negotiate with her. "Alright. Ready? Let's go in three minutes, people." Nine waves dismissively over his shoulder, Nightcrawler already forgotten now that One is awake. "Brother," he greets him, reaching out to clasp hands with his counterpart. "The Alphas have found a way to breach containment. You have to take your friends and leave before it's too late. I'm going to stay here and stop them. I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone. Some of us are learning how to choose instead of obey." One starts to protest, but Nine is already hauling him to his feet. The shortsword is pressed into One's grip. "Father's saber is gone. It's in the trophy room, and you'll never get there and get out before the Alphas find you. Take this. Fern has the rest of your gear. Now go!" Dumbfounded, blinking, still puffing for air, One reaches for Fern's hand. "What?" It's the only thing he can think of to say. The touch on her shoulder gives Fern something to focus on in the moment that Nine speaks to One. She turns, looking like a bedraggled little terrier with wet cheeks, pure gratitude in her eyes. A nod acknowledges Selina's words and Fern looks back to One as his fingers find her own. She steps to him quickly, moving to help steady him instead of hug him, her voice soft and tender. "We have to get out of here. Let's just do that, ok, and we'll talk when we're out." She's calmer again, taking strength from those who've come to help. Then it dawns on her and she looks to Nine, her voice still soft but urgent now. "Come with us. Please." She doesn't believe Nine is 'just a machine' any more than One is. He has free will. "Please." Kurt catches the machete with his tail, and giving it a couple of abbreviated slashes to feel the weight, he exhales. "Wish you had two more," he murmurs. Flicking the weapon from tail to hand, he's still stuck to the wall on the inside for the moment. Narrowed, glowing yellow eyes turn to look at Selina, and linger for a long couple of heartbeats. "We will do what we came to do." Extract Fern and One. Take out the other clones, and take out the data. This.. is a slightly.. no, a completely different side of the elf. "I am not leaving you behind either, fraulein." Then.. Fern is begging Nine to come with? After that display with Nine and One.. well, he's been known to be wrong before, but he's not willing to go down that avenue quite yet. "Domino, shall we go down und find a way to shake them up?" Kurt is more than happy to take her for that ride.. Sitrep: Alarm triggered. Data not retrieved. Explosives not set. Confusion amongst the team. Everyone wants to do something but direction appears to be lacking. However..! One and Fern are both alive, and, for the moment, secured. As for the rest of the mission? Scrub it. Domino doesn't like to leave anything to chance. Hit once, hit hard, be done with it. It's why she'll kill an already disabled opponent, dead things can't come back to attack you. Unless they're zombies, but she's never had -that- happen yet. "To hell with this," she mutters to herself. "Guys--look. We're fucked. Let's just pull out now and be done with this, we can turn this place into a crater some other time when we don't have a healthy fraction of the city's population on our backsides. We've got Fern and One, let's go!" "Right. This is wonderful..." Sel pushes the goggles up off of her face and onto her brow, it giving her a chance to wipe the sweat off as well as a few frustated tears. "Alright. Let's expedite this egress," she announces, looking apologetically at Kurt. "I hope this won't hurt you," she adds, frowning, very concerned for their friend as well as One. Looking at Nine, she smiles sadly. "If you make it out of here alive and find yourself in Gotham look me up. Name's Catwoman." And then she's quiet, doing nothing more than moving over to where the others stand. Nine gives them a small smile and playfully knuckles Fern's cheek. "Sorry, guys. It's been fun, but somebody has to stay and tidy up the mess. That's my choice. Now go on, get outta here." Once Nightcrawler has teleported the rescue team to their plane, Nine lets out a sigh and the smile slides from his face. Slowly, he shrugs out of his suit coat, revealing the explosives he's strapped to the sides of his body. The CLOMP-CLOMP-CLOMP of many feet approaching can be heard even over the alarms. Just as shadowy figures reach the sickbay door, Nine pulls two grenades from his belt, arms them, and balances them on his palms. Carefully, he lifts them up and holds them out for all to see. Then he smiles. As the X-Jet pulls away, the entire 50th floor of Organitech Tower is blown out through the windows. Category:Logs Category:RPLogs